Back in November, we had the opportunity to take a look at the DIR-868L as D-Link entered the 802.11ac market. The 868L offered up AC1750 capabilities with 1300Mbps on the 5GHz band and 450Mbps on the 2.4GHz band with a space saving tower design similar to the Apple AirPort.

Today, we shift gears, and move onto the latest solution from D-Link, this time an AC1900 product, dubbed the DIR-880L. The 880L carries the typical desktop form factor, that is to say the router is a low profile rectangular box.

Features of this router include dual band capabilities including 1300Mbps on the 5GHz band and 600Mbps on the 2.4GHz band, giving us the AC1900 marketing label. In addition to this, the DIR-880L is a cloud router, so the ability to manage your router remotely is feasible, and if you setup the integrated Shareport feature, access to the devices USB ports, which have been made available for storage, printers and scanners, is also available.

The D-Link DIR-880L is an entry-level 802.11ac solution aimed to bring the latest technology in to the average consumers home. The 880L features two USB ports with one carrying USB 3.0 technology, along with three high gain antennas to aide in increased range ability. Each of the five RJ45 port include gigabit ethernet capability, as to eliminate any network bottlenecks.

The D-Link DIR-880L wireless router is listed at $189.99 with a one-year warranty. This positions the DIR-880L next to the Linksys EA6900, Netgear R7000 and ASUS RT-AC68U in the current market.

PRICING: You can find the D-Link DIR-880L wireless router for sale below. The prices listed are valid at the time of writing but can change at any time. Click the link to see the very latest pricing for the best deal.

The product packaging for the 880L carries a more casual appeal. The router is pictured on the front of the box with a few marketing details around it.

The back of the packaging carries a few more details about the router.

Scope of delivery includes an Ethernet cable, three antennas, power adapter and reading materials.

The 880L house a full arsenal of LED lights on the top of the router for indicating LAN and WLAN activity.

The back of the router has four-gigabit LAN ports next the single gigabit WAN port. We have three antenna connections, along with a USB port and the power button. Also worth mentioning is a second USB 3.0 port located on the side of the unit.

D-Link’s DSL-2890AL has been out since last year, but somehow it’s managed to miss inclusion in the round-ups and reviews we’ve done in APC since. We therefore took the opportunity of the release of the new limited edition D-Link DSL-2890AL/LE version — which is essentially identical to the normal version, but comes in bright red — to give it a test run. (For those who aren’t after the lipstick look, it’s also available in a more discrete black version.)

Even two years in, 802.11ac routers with built-in ADSL modems are still fairly thin on the ground, so it’s something of a relief that the DSL-2890AL is a relatively good option. It combines solid wireless performance with an easy-to-use web interface and a good spread of features — and it does so at a fair price.

Despite not being the newest router on the market, things are still reasonably impressive from a hardware standpoint — like the bulk of 802.11ac routers, this one’s based on a Broadcom chipset and comes with four Gigabit Ethernet ports (and you can reconfigure one of these as a WAN port for hooking into the NBN) plus one USB 3.0 and one USB 2.0 port for plugging in storage devices or a printer. (There’s a caveat to using that USB 3.0 port for storage — D-Link’s interface warns you that it “may” interfere with 2.4GHz wireless performance.

Thankfully, you can switch the port to USB 2.0 mode to avoid this, which is still fast enough for even the most demanding media streaming.) There’s also tweaker-pleasing features like a hardware power switch (no more yanking the power cable) and dedicated Wi-Fi on/off button.

Router interfaces have come a long way in the last decade, and D-Link’s are some of the best examples of that. The web interface here is one of the easiest to use, making initial set up a synch, but also providing detailed and helpful configuration tips and information for advanced features. This is displayed off to the right-hand side of basically every setting page — and it’s all in well-written, easy-to-understand English so even relatively novice networkers can figure out what each setting does. It’s even good at suggesting settings — warning you with a pop-up, for example, if you try to leave the Wi-Fi settings page without turning on security.

The D-Link DSL-2890AL/LE is not lacking for software features either. You can run both DLNA and iTunes servers from connected USB devices and also share USB drive files with PCs via the standard Samba protocol. There’s reasonably fine-grained control over network prioritisation in the quality of service screen, with some preconfigured rules already in place (prioritising YouTube traffic highly to avoid streaming problems, for example) and you can even specify what percentage of your connection each of the four priority settings is allowed to hog.

Likewise there’s better-than-average control over network access, with website filtering and scheduled network access times that can be applied to specific devices — you could prevent a specific PC from accessing a certain website and shut down its access completely between 10pm and a 6am, for example.

The DIR-880L Wireless AC1900 Dual-Band Gigabit Cloud Router offers the ultimate wireless connectivity with combined wireless speeds of up to 1.9 Gbps*. Advanced AC SmartBeam™ provides a dramatic increase in wireless coverage, while advanced Quality of Service (QoS) efficiently and automatically distributes your Internet bandwidth. The touch screen enhanced web-based setup wizard and configuration allows you to easily setup and get connected. It’s mydlink™-enabled which allows you to control and manage your network wherever you are over the Internet, as well as stream and share media files through the free mydlink™ SharePort™ app. The DIR-880L is high performance, easy-to-use and IPv6-ready for a reliable network today and tomorrow.

D-Link DIR-880L Technical Specs

Up To 1.9Gbps Data Rate

802.11a/b/g/n/ac

Dual Band 2.4GHz / 5GHz

1x USB 3.0 / 1x USB 2.0

4x Gigabit LAN / 1x Gigabit WAN

Beamforming (SmartBeam)

Advanced QoS

WPS

D-Link DIR-880L AC1900 Conclusion

Good

Fast Speeds At Budget Price

Looks Good

Intuitive Interface

Not so Good

Good Coverage, But Not Quite The Best

D-Link DIR-880L AC1900 Features

The DIR-880L has all the usual attributes including IPv6 support, WPS connect and WPA2 encryption.
But let’s take a look at the big features…

7 Features of the D-Link DIR-880L AC1900 Router

Better Wireless AC With Dual Band
Reach out further with both Wireless AC & N using simultaneous Dual Band. Data rates of 1.3Gbps on the 5GHz and 600Mbps on the 2.4GHz band.
Wireless AC (802.11ac) is the latest wireless standard that accommodates flawless online gaming and HD streaming. With AC1900 wireless speeds comes more reliable connections and faster transfers.

SmartBeam Beamforming
SmartBeam is designed to give your wireless clients more freedom to roam. Rather than pushing out signal in all directions at all times, the DIR-880L directs Wi-Fi signal in the direction of your clients as and when they need it. This means clients can move further away from the router then before. It also means that the wireless signal is stronger, which boosts reliability levels.

Advanced Quality of Service
If you want to get the best out of your network, it’s best to use Quality of Service, also known as QoS. You can prioritize your precious network traffic, so that it’s not affected by less important traffic at time of network congestion. For example, you can stream the latest installment of Game of Thrones, without worrying about someone else in your home compromising your viewing when they decide to download a movie from the Internet.

Two USB Ports
The DIR-880L AC1900 ships with two USB ports. One is USB 3.0, which is a must-have for HD streaming & fast filesharing – basically making the most of those fast Wireless AC speeds. There’s an intuitive user interface to view stored content – be it movies, music or photos.

3 External High Gain Antennas
Three high gain external antennas helps to push out Wi-Fi signal in more directions which extends the coverage area even more.

mydLink Monitoring
mydlink is cloud based. This means you can access the DIR-880L from anywhere at any time. mydlink lets you monitor your network, block access and implement Parental Control from a PC, smartphone or tablet.

Gigabit Ports
D-Link have added 4 Gbps ports should you wish to connect wired devices directly into the router.

This review is from: D-Link Wireless AC1900 Dual Band WiFi Gigabit Router (DIR-880L) (Personal Computers)
I just put one these new D-Link DIR-880L into service this weekend. I was using a 4th generation Apple Air Port which worked well with no clitches and was easy to setup. But the signal dropped off in several areas and outside. I have a 2 story home about 3500 Sq. Ft. and keep my router on the 2nd floor. When I heard about the new D-Link DIR-880L that just was released I thought it would be just perfect for my network. I have 7 devices in my network 1 is a Smart Samsung TV, 2 iphones, 1 wifi BD player and 3 others and growing. I am considering cloud video cameras as well. So I need unit with some chops.

The unit was a snap to set up using the internet configuration, less than 10 minutes for my system. The router is a well made sturdy device that is well laid out. It has been running for 5 days and no problems. Watched some streaming HD movies with no buffer issues.

I did a test before I removed the AirPort Router. I have 25 Mbps service from COX Cable that runs downloads with Speedtest around 32Mbps on my wired PCs and Iphones in the house.

At the 5GHz & 2.4GHz settings 50ft from house 6.51Mbps for both download speeds from the Apple.

I did test after setting up the DIR-880L
At the 5GHz & 2.4GHz settings 50ft from house 20.06Mbps & 22.60Mbps respectively from the D-Link much better than Apple.

I highly recommend this great new AC1900 DIR-880L WiFi Router. I am not even taking full advantage of its potential my clients are only N Technology.

Create a high-speed wireless network for your home using the D-Link DIR-600LCloud Router. Connect the device to a broadband modem and wirelessly share your high-speed Internet connection at up to 150Mbps. Enjoy surfing the web, checking e-mail, and chatting with family and friends online. The DIR-600L Cloud Router also includes 4 Fast Ethernet Ports that give you the flexibility to connect wired devices to the network.

All references to speed are for comparison purposes only. Product specifications, size and shape are subject to change without notice, and actual product appearance may differ from that depicted herein.

1.I am a Comcast performance Internet user. We used to rent a modem from Comcast and use an old linksys 802.11.b wireless router. The Internet speed is extremely slow, both upload and download speed <1M. Sometimes it’s even stuck wile the signal strength looks fine. I bought a Motorola cable modem 3.0 and this dlink wireless router. The cable modem arrived earlier than dlink cloud router. I replaced it with the old Comcast cable modem. Our Internet speed improved. The download and upload speed both are around 3M for iPad 2, but the speed is still very slow for iPad 3 and old notebook (about 1M).I don’t know the reason. After the dlink cloud router arrived, our Internet totally changed. The download speed reaches 20M, upload speed above 3M. The set up is very easy. I just unplug all the devices( cable modem and other devices connected to the router), replace the router, plug all the devices from lower grade device to higher grade device one by one and wait for several minutes. Then I try to connect dlink wireless using iPad. Instructions appear and step by step I complete password set up etc. You can also change wireless name and password by connect to 192.168.0.1. The initial user name is admin and password is blank. Log in and change your set up. The only problem is that you can not use linksys as your wireless name. I tried that and problems occurred. I reset the modem and the router works ok again. The Internet speed test is completed by an iPad application speedtesthd.

The rang of the router is also good. We live in 2300 sq feet two stories house. The modem and dlink router are in the corner of first floor. Signals are strong enough in anywhere of second floor. In some place of the basement the iPad can also catch signals.I only have these new devices for less than 10 days.

2.I really like this router. I had a problem setting this up, I called them and they were very patient and walked me through it. It had something to do with IP address, had comflicting problems. I have had no problems with it since. It will carry all through our house, I have 4 computers and a kindle and a tablet hooked to it and can use all at the same time. Another great product from D-Link.

The bad:The router lacks support for DynDNS and has a confusing interface. Performance is disappointing, especially compared with that of similarly priced routers.

The bottom line: The DGL-5500 has a lot of potential, but for now isn’t worth its high price.

Familiar physical design, totally new hardware

The D-Link DGL-5500 Gaming Router comes in the now-familiar vertical cylindrical design, first available in the DIR-645. It’s almost exactly the same in appearance as the DIR-868L — just shorter and slightly narrower — looking somewhat like the new Mac Pro, or more like a computer speaker than a router.

Unlike the DIR-868L, however, the DGL-5500 can’t be wall-mounted. This is not a big deal, however, since most of the time a router is hidden in a corner or under the desk.

What is a big deal is that on the inside, the DGL-5500 is totally new. It’s the third 802.11ac (or AC for short) router from D-Link (the other two being the DIR-868L and DIR-865L) but unlike the previous two, it uses an 802.11ac chip from Qualcomm. This chip includes a feature called StreamBoost that intelligently monitors Internet traffic in real time and prioritizes the traffic based on type of application. The new router also supports only the second tier (dual-stream) setup of the 802.11ac standard, with a cap speed of just 867Mbps. Other AC routers can offer up to 1.3Gbps Wi-Fi speed.

Like all AC-enabled routers, the DGL-5500 is also a true dual-band 802.11n (N for short) router that offers up to 450Mbps of each of the two 5GHz frequency bands. In short, it supports all existing Wi-Fi clients on the market, regardless of their Wi-Fi standard revisions.

On the front the router has two round green LEDs that show thepower and Internet status. There are no other status lights for the network ports, which some users might miss. On the back, it has four gigabit LAN ports (for Ethernet-ready clients), one gigabit WAN port (to connect to an Internet source, such as a broadband modem), and a USB 3.0 port to host a USB device, such as a printer or an external hard drive. Also on the back are a power on/off button and a WPS button, which initiates a 2-minute window during which other WPS-enabled devices can enter the router’s Wi-Fi network.

Setting up the DGL-5500 is typical of setting up a home router, as in this How To post. Basically, you plug the router into an outlet and connect its WAN port to an Internet source with an network cable (one is included with the router). Use another cable to connect a computer to one of the router’s LAN ports. If you don’t have a second cable, you can also use a Wi-Fi client (such as a computer or a tablet) and connect to the router’s default Wi-Fi networks. The router comes with a label with this information printed on it.

Now, from the connected computer you launch a browser and you will be greeted with a Web-based setup wizard that walks you through the process in a few simple steps. You can always go back to the router’s Web interface by pointing a browser from a connected computer to its default IP address, which is 192.168.0.1. The default log-in password is blank (keep the field clear).

New, sleek, but impractical Web interface

The D-Link DGL-5500’s Web interface is updated from the traditional well-organized and granular interface of most D-Link routers. The interface is now much sleeker with smooth animation during transitions. Main items are organized in a menu to the left and sub-items are organized in different tabs on top. The main part in the middle of the interface displays the settings of the current sub-item for you to customize. It’s generally self-explanatory.

As I used the router, however, I found that the interface could use a lot of improvement: major configuration items are scattered in a disjointed way and some common settings are missing.

Take StreamBoost, the selling feature of the router, for example. This feature senses Internet traffic and automatically prioritizes the bandwidth, in real time, to make sure lag-sensitive applications such as online gaming and video chatting get priority while other, less important activities, such as file downloading, take a back seat. While this feature functioned well for the most part in my trials, the way it’s organized in the interface is terrible at best.

First of all, to turn StreamBoost on or off, you’ll need to go to Setup in the main menu and then the StreamBoost tab. (Here you can also opt in to StreamBoost’s Automatic Update, which regularly updates information on what application needs what type of priority. Joining this is generally a good thing, however, it does mean the router will send Qualcomm information about your network.) Once on, StreamBoost prioritizes the Internet by applications as well as by clients, which you can manually adjust in an entirely different part of the interface, the Priority tab in the My Network section. This separation makes StreamBoost and the priority list seem unrelated. It would be better if StreamBoost and all of its related settings were in one place.

Secondly, the priority list itself is very badly designed. Once StreamBoost is turned on, the interface arbitrarily puts all connected clients in a numeric order with No. 1 as the top priority. If you have multiple computers in a network, rearranging this list to match your desired priorities is usually a must, but unfortunately not easily. This is because you can move only one client at a time and only one step at a time. For example, if you want to move a computer from 3 to 1 you have to first move it to number 2, and then from 2 to 1. In other words, if you have 10 computers in your network and need to move the one at the bottom to the top, you will have to move it 10 times. It would be much less frustrating, especially in a large network, if you could just drag and drop the clients at will.